KINGS POINT, New York, March 27, 2017 – CAPT Mikel Stroud, Acting, Commandant of Midshipmen at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), has announced that Lieutenant General Michael G. Dana, Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics, will be the speaker at the 2017 Battle Standard Dinner, which will be held on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. The Battle Standard Dinner is an annual event at USMMA.  It is hosted by the First Class and honors the memories of the 142 Cadet Midshipmen who lost their lives during World War II.

Lieutenant General Dana was promoted to his current rank and assumed his duties as Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics in September 2015. His decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars, Joint Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two gold stars, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.

“We are very honored that Lieutenant General Dana has accepted the Superintendent’s invitation to speak at this year’s Battle Standard Dinner. His lifetime of service and leadership are a wonderful example to our midshipmen, who will be commissioned as officers in the military and U.S. Merchant Marine,” said Stroud.

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is privileged among the nation’s five federal academies to be the only institution authorized to carry a battle standard as part of its Color Guard.  The Academy’s battle standard proudly commemorates and perpetuates the memory of the Cadet-Midshipmen who gave the last full measure of devotion in World War II.

During times of war, members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard engage in combat, but the students at their respective service academies do not.  The students of USMMA receive an integral part of their training at sea, and in World War II often found their lives in peril as they sailed through enemy-controlled waters or unloaded precious cargo in overseas combat areas.  In all, 142 cadet-midshipmen set sail, but never returned to home port.  In their memory, the Battle Standard bears the number “142.”